Formaldehyde is a common component in building materials, particularly those held together with urea-formaldehyde glues. Good, easy-to-understand information can be found at Formaldehyde | Basic Information | Indoor Air | Air | US EPA . Airstreams, with their aluminum construction, probably contain less formaldehyde than many other RVs, but are surely not free of it when first built. Good ventilation, always important with an RV, is one key way to avoid buildup of formaldehyde due to outgassing from various wood products and other sources. This is especially true in hot weather and with newer RVs.

As Tim mentioned, the glue is a huge contributor. Airstreams do have quite a bit in the laminate cabinets of the modern Safari's and Internationals.

Classics with the wood cabinets don't have this issue...

Not sure the content in the glue used on the "mouse fur" and padded headliners on the Classics and Base Safari's.

Environment will cause them to outgasses, i.e. heat and humidity. That's why you get the burning eyes when you walk into a new trailer that has been sitting in the sun and heat versus one that is cool and in the shade...

So, all trailers (airstreams included) have them as the glue bases are all similar composition and industry standard for now. Until some "green group" pushes for legislation, or until the industry bands together to create a new "green" initiative on their own, it will remain this way for a while...

Trailers used in Katrina may have a higher composition or percentage of materials (i.e particle board, wallpapers, etc) as compared to airstreams due to their construction materials and techniques. Take that into the hot humid environment and you can guess how it will outgas and become an issue...

I towed lots of FEMA trailers to Katrina and also to Florida the year before. Many of them had a strong odor. We were picking them up at the factory as soon as they were built (literally within hours) and making steam to the destination as opposed to non-FEMA RV's which may sit on the factory lot for a few days or weeks before being shipped. And of course it was summer which causes more gassing. Even new high end RV's smell from gassing, enough to burn the eyes sometimes.

The guy that sued the government because his FEMA trailer smelled took the insurance settlement money and bought a $50,000 RV to live in while rebuilding. I guarantee you his new RV smelled also.

I used to work for a contractor that did work at the Kraftmaid factory in Middlefield, Ohio, back in the 90's. The entire factory smelled of the glue that they used in the manufacturing process. I was told they formulate the glue onsite. Don't know it's components, but I don't know how anyone could stand to work in that place.

Our two-year old Safari is garaged in our backyard, so we're able to keep the windows open with a fan blowing inside. This got rid of the chemical odor within a few days. However, the unit has temporarily been outside for a few days in the Arizona summer heat all sealed up, and of course the odor returned.

Would it be fair to assume that once we get rid of the odor again with lots of moving fresh air, then it's 'safe'? Is it maybe a good thing to have it out in the heat sometimes to force it to outgas at a faster rate?

...the unit has temporarily been outside for a few days in the Arizona summer heat all sealed up, and of course the odor returned.

Would it be fair to assume that once we get rid of the odor again with lots of moving fresh air, then it's 'safe'? Is it maybe a good thing to have it out in the heat sometimes to force it to outgas at a faster rate?

Since it was new, our Bambi has been stored outside and often in high heat, if not as high as in Arizona. We always have a roof vent at least slightly open and a window or two partly open. This provides natural circulation and there has never been an odor buildup.

Due to the small volume inside our Airstream relative to all the stuff in that volume, we have always emphasized good ventilation. That is, of course, doubly so when we are in it!